3 vitamin supplements linked to increased risk of lung cancer

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Cancer kills millions of people every year, despite the best minds working tirelessly to find a cure. However, you can change your risk of developing cancer, although the means to do so are not always obvious.

Some ways are obvious: reducing your intake of processed meat and quitting smoking are not a problem. However, seemingly healthy solutions can hide hidden health risks. Research on dietary supplements illustrates this.

Study links “long-term” use of three natural supplements to increased risk of lung cancer

The authors examined the relationship between supplemental intake of beta-carotene, retinol, vitamin A, lutein, and lycopene with lung cancer risk among participants.

What did researchers learn?

Long-term use of individual β-carotene, retinol, and lutein supplements (but not the total average dose over 10 years) was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of overall lung cancer.

“There was little evidence of a change in effect depending on gender or smoking status,” commented oncologist Andrii Vorobyov on the study. “Long-term use of individual β-carotene, retinol, and lutein supplements is not recommended for lung cancer prevention, especially among smokers. Some studies have shown that taking certain supplements can increase the risk of certain types of cancer.”